    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 25, 2004]
    [Pages 2713-2719]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Davenport, Iowa
    October 25, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. It is great to be
    back in the great city of Davenport, Iowa. Laura
    and I are--[applause]. Thanks for coming. You've lifted our spirits
    today. We really appreciate you being here.
        We're heading down the stretch. I'm here to ask for your vote. I'm
    here to ask for your help. I need you to go to your friends and
    neighbors and remind them we have a duty in this great democracy to
    vote. Don't overlook discerning Democrats when you get people going to
    the polls, by the way, people like Senator Zell Miller. Remind your friends and neighbors if they want a safer
    country, a stronger country, and a better country, to put me and Dick
    Cheney back in office.
        Laura and I were in the seventh grade
    together in San Jacinto Junior High, in Midland, Texas, and then we
    became reacquainted. She was a public school librarian when I met her
    again. I said, ``Will you marry me?'' She said, ``Fine, if you make me
    one promise.'' I said, ``What is it?'' ``Promise me I'll never have to
    give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you've got a
    deal.'' [Laughter] Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise.
    She's giving a lot of speeches, and when she does, the American people
    see a strong, compassionate First Lady.
        And I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. You know, I'm looking around, and I can see a few folks
    out there have got the same hairstyle he does. [Laughter] I did not pick
    the Vice President because of his hairdo. [Laughter] And I admit, he
    doesn't have the waviest hair in the race. [Laughter] I picked him
    because he can get the job done for the American people.
        How about Rudy? We love traveling with Rudy. Rudy is a great American. We woke up, and we had breakfast
    with Rudy and Judith at our place in
    Crawford. Then we went to Greeley, Colorado. Then we went to the western
    part of your State, and we're finishing a great day here in Davenport.
    And I want to thank Rudy--I want to thank him for joining me. I
    appreciate his support.
        So I was telling Laura, I said, ``You know
    something, the South Lawn at the White House has got a lot of grass on
    it, and we need somebody to come and mow it.'' [Laughter] ``I can't
    think of anybody better than the chairman, Chuck Grassley, to be mowing our lawn.'' What a good man Chuck
    Grassley is. He's a great United States Senator. I know you're proud of
    him.
        And I'm proud of your Congressman, Jim Nussle, the budget chairman. He's watching your money like a
    hawk--eye. He's a good man. And I know you're proud of a Congressman who
    was raised right here, former Congressman. He moved up the road a little
    bit, but a man we call friend, and that's Congressman Jim Leach, and his wife, Deb, is here.
        I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here, the
    people putting up the signs, the people making the phone calls, the
    people organizing a rally just like this one. I want to thank you for
    what you have done and what you're going to do. With your hard work,
    with your help, we will carry Iowa and win a great victory on November
    the 2d.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. We have just 8 days to go in this campaign, and
    voters have a clear choice between two very different candidates with
    dramatically different approaches and different records. You know where
    I stand, and sometimes, you even know where my opponent stands. [Laughter] We both have records. I'm proudly
    running on mine. The Senator is running from his. [Laughter] And there's
    a reason

    [[Page 2714]]

    why. There is a mainstream in American politics, and my opponent sits on
    the far left bank. I'm a compassionate conservative and proudly so. In a
    time when our country has much to accomplish and much to offer, I
    proudly offer my record of reform and results.
        This election comes down to five clear choices for America's
    families, five choices on issues of great consequence: your family's
    security; your family's budget; your quality of life; your retirement;
    and the bedrock values that are so critical to our country's future.
        The first clear choice is the most important because it concerns the
    security of your family. All our progress on every other issue depends
    on the safety of our citizens. This will be the first Presidential
    election since September the 11th, 2001. Americans will go to the polls
    in a time of war and ongoing threats unlike any we have faced before.
    The terrorists who killed thousands are still dangerous, and they're
    determined. The outcome of this election will set the direction of the
    war against terror. The most solemn duty of the American President is to
    protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty or weakness in
    this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen
    on my watch.
        Since that terrible morning of September the 11th, 2001, we have
    fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for pride, not for power,
    but because the lives of our citizens are at stake. Our strategy is
    clear. We've strengthened the protections for our homeland. We're
    reforming our intelligence capabilities. We're transforming our army.
    There will be no draft. We will keep the All-Volunteer Army. We are
    determined. We are relentless. We are staying on the offensive, and
    we're succeeding. The 9/11 Commission report said, ``America is safer,
    not yet safe.'' More than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and
    associates have been brought to justice. The rest of them know we're on
    their trail.
        The American President, in these times of danger, must lead with
    consistency and strength. In a war, sometimes your tactics change but
    not your principles. Americans have seen how I do my job. Even when you
    might not agree with me, you know what I believe and where I stand and
    what I intend to do. On good days and on bad days, whether the polls are
    up or the polls are down, I am determined to win the war on terror, and
    I will always support the men and women who wear the uniform.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. My opponent has taken a
    different approach. It's fair to say that consistency has not been his
    strong point. [Laughter] Senator Kerry says we're better off with Saddam
    Hussein out of power, except when he declares
    that removing Saddam has made us less safe. He stated in our second
    debate that he always believed Saddam was a threat, except a few
    questions later, when he said Saddam Hussein was not a threat.
    [Laughter] He says he was right when he voted to authorize the use of
    force against Saddam Hussein, but that I was wrong to use force against
    Saddam Hussein. [Laughter]
        Now my opponent is throwing out the wild
    claim that he knows where bin Laden was in
    the fall of 2001, and that our military passed up the chance to get him
    in Tora Bora. This is unjustified criticism of our military commanders
    in the field. This is the worst kind of Monday morning quarterbacking.
    And it's what we've come to expect from my opponent during this
    campaign.
        In fact, our Commander in Afghanistan, General Tommy Franks, recently wrote about Tora Bora, and he said, ``The
    Senator's understanding of events does not
    square with reality.'' The General said that American Special Forces
    were actively involved in the search for the terrorists in Tora Bora and
    that intelligence reports at the time placed bin Laden in several countries.

    [[Page 2715]]

        Before Senator Kerry got into political
    difficulty and revised his views, he saw our actions in Tora Bora
    differently. In the fall of 2001, on national TV, he said this about
    Tora Bora, ``I think we've been doing this pretty effectively, and we
    should continue to do it that way.'' At the time, the Senator said about
    Tora Bora, ``I think we've been smart. I think the administration
    leadership has done it well, and we are on the right track.'' End quote.
    All I can say about that is, I am George W. Bush, and I approve of that
    message.
        Senator Kerry's record on national
    security has a far deeper problem than election-year flip-flopping. On
    the largest national security issues of our time, he has been
    consistently wrong. When Ronald Reagan was confronting the Soviet Union
    at the height of the cold war, Senator Kerry said that President
    Reagan's policy of peace through strength was making America less safe.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He voted against many
    weapons systems critical to our defense buildup. History has shown that
    Senator Kerry was wrong, and President Ronald Reagan was right.
        When former President Bush led a
    coalition against Saddam Hussein in 1991,
    Senator Kerry voted against the use of force
    to liberate Kuwait.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. If his view had prevailed, Saddam Hussein today would dominate the Middle East and possess the
    world's most dangerous weapons. History has shown that Senator
    Kerry was wrong, and former President George
    Bush was right.
        In 1994, just one year after the first bombing of the World Trade
    Center, Senator Kerry proposed massive cuts in
    America's intelligence budget.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. So massive that even his Massachusetts colleague, Ted
    Kennedy, opposed them. [Laughter] History
    has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and--
    we've got be fair--Senator Kennedy was right. [Laughter]
        Just last year, American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan needed $87
    billion for important funding to help them complete their missions.
    First, my opponent said, ``It would be
    irresponsible to vote against the troops.'' Then he voted against the
    troops.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. You might remember perhaps the most famous quote of
    the 2004 campaign. They asked him about his vote, and he said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, right
    before I voted against it.'' History has shown that Senator Kerry was
    right, then wrong--[laughter]--then briefly right--[laughter]--then
    wrong again. [Laughter] Since then, he said, ``The whole thing was a
    complicated matter.'' My fellow Americans, there's nothing complicated
    about supporting our troops in harm's way.
        During the last 20 years, in key moments of challenge and decision
    for America, Senator Kerry has chosen a
    position of weakness and inaction. With that record, he stands in
    opposition not just to me but to the great tradition of the Democratic
    Party. The party of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and John Kennedy
    is rightly remembered for confidence and resolve in times of war and
    hours of crisis. Senator Kerry has turned his back on ``pay any price''
    and ``bear any burden.'' And he's replaced those commitments with ``wait
    and see'' and ``cut and run.'' Many Democrats in this country do not
    recognize their party anymore. And today I want to speak to every one of
    them. If you believe that America should lead with strength and purpose
    and confidence in our ideals, I would be honored to have your support,
    and I'm asking for your vote.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. The second clear choice in this election concerns
    your family's budget. When I ran for President 4 years ago, I pledged to
    lower taxes for American families, and I kept my word. I enjoyed

    [[Page 2716]]

    working with Chairman Chuck Grassley to
    keep a pledge I made. We doubled the child credit to $1,000 per child.
    We reduced the marriage penalty. The Tax Code should encourage marriage,
    not penalize marriage. We dropped the lowest bracket to 10 percent so
    working families could keep more of their paychecks. We reduced taxes
    for everybody who pays taxes. After-tax income is up--that's money in
    your pocket to spend--it's up by about 10 percent since I became your
    President.
        I want you to remind your friends and neighbors what this economy
    has been through. Six months prior to our arrival in Washington, DC, the
    stock market was in serious decline. And then we faced the recession and
    corporate scandals and the attacks of September the 11th, 2001, which
    cost us about a million jobs in the 3 months after that fateful day.
        But our economic policies have put us back on the road to growth.
    Our economy is growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years. The
    homeownership rate is at an alltime high. Our farmers are making a good
    living. The entrepreneurial spirit is strong. Small businesses are
    flourishing all across our country. We've added more than 1.9 million
    new jobs in the last 13 months. The national unemployment rate is 5.4
    percent, lower than the average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and the
    1990s. The unemployment rate in the great State of Iowa is 4.7 percent.
    This economy is strong, and it is getting stronger.
        My opponent has very different plans for
    your budget--for your family's budget, and that's to take a big chunk
    out of it.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. You tell your friends and neighbors, he voted against the child credit, marriage penalty relief,
    lower tax rates. If his vote had prevailed, an average middle-class
    family would be paying $2,000 more a year to the Federal Government.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. It's part of a pattern. He's been in the United States Senate for 20 years, and he's
    voted for tax increases 98 times. That's about five times every year.
    That's predictable. When a Senator does something that often, he must
    really enjoy it. [Laughter] During his campaign, he's made a lot of big
    promises--big spending promises too. He's promised $2.2 trillion of new
    spending. That's trillion with a ``T.'' That's a lot even for a Senator
    from Massachusetts. [Laughter]
        So they asked him, ``How are you going to
    pay for it?'' He said, ``Oh, we'll just tax the rich.'' You've heard
    that before, haven't you? When you run up the top two brackets, one,
    he's taxing a lot of small businesses. Seventy percent of job--new jobs
    in America are created by small businesses. Most small businesses pay
    individual income-tax rates. And when you're running up the taxes,
    you're taxing the job creators, and that is bad economic policy. When
    you raise the top two brackets, you raise between 600 billion and 800
    billion dollars. That's far short of the 2.2 trillion. There is a gap.
    And guess who usually pays that gap?
        Audience members. We do!
        The President. You do. The good news is, we're going to carry Iowa.
    We're going to win on November the 2d, and he's not going to tax you.
        The third clear choice in this election involves the quality of life
    for our Nation's families. A good education and quality health care are
    important to a successful life. When I ran for President 4 years ago, I
    promised to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations in every
    school in America, and I kept my word. We passed good reforms. The No
    Child Left Behind Act has raised standards. It believes in local control
    of schools. Schools are now more accountable. Our children are learning
    to read and write and add and subtract. We're closing achievement gaps
    all across this country for minority students. We'll build on these
    reforms. We'll extend high standards to our high schools, so that no
    child is left behind in America.

    [[Page 2717]]

        And we'll continue to improve lives for our families by making
    health care more affordable and accessible. We'll expand health savings
    accounts so more small businesses can cover their workers and more
    families are able to get health care accounts they can manage and call
    their own. We will help our small businesses afford health insurance by
    allowing them to pool together so they can buy insurance at the same
    discounts that big companies are able to do. We will expand community
    health centers and rural health centers to help the poor and the
    indigent. We'll make sure every eligible child is enrolled in our
    Government's low-income health insurance program.
        And to make sure health care is available and affordable, we will do
    something about these frivolous lawsuits that are running up the cost of
    medicine. I've met too many ob-gyns around this Nation that are having
    trouble practicing medicine because the lawsuits are running up their
    premiums and driving them out of business. I've met too many pregnant
    women who are worried about the quality of the health care they're
    receiving because their ob-gyn can't practice in the local community.
    This is a national problem that requires a national solution. You cannot
    be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time. You
    have to make a choice. My opponent made his
    choice, and he put a personal-injury trial lawyer on the ticket.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I made my choice. I have made my choice. I'm standing
    with the doctors, and I'm standing with the patients. I'm for medical
    liability reform--now.
        My opponent has a different point of view
    when it comes to schools and health care. He voted for the No Child Left
    Behind Act but now wants to weaken the accountability standards. For
    example, he's proposed including measures like teacher attendance to
    judge whether a student can read or write or add and subtract. We need
    to keep high standards in our schools. We've got to expect the best for
    the children. And he voted against health savings accounts. He opposes
    association health plans. He voted 10 times against medical liability
    reform. He can run from his record, but he cannot hide.
        No, he's laid out a plan for health care,
    and it would be a big-Government health care plan. Eighty percent of the
    people who get coverage under his proposal would be enrolled in a
    Government program. Now, listen, I remember those debates when he looked
    right in the camera with a straight face and said, ``The Government has
    nothing to do with it.'' I could barely contain myself. [Laughter] The
    Government has got a lot to do with it. It's a plan that will lead us
    down the road to Federal control of health care. In all we do to improve
    health care, we will make sure the decisions are made by doctors and
    patients, not by officials in Washington, DC.
        The fourth clear choice in this election involves your retirement.
    Our Nation has made a solemn commitment to America's seniors on Social
    Security and Medicare. When I ran for President 4 years ago, I promised
    to keep that commitment and improve Medicare by adding prescription drug
    coverage. I kept my word. I want you to remember the history on
    Medicare. Leaders in both political parties have talked about
    strengthening and modernizing Medicare for years. We got the job done.
    And I want to thank Chairman Chuck Grassley for his hard work on this issue. Seniors are getting
    discounts on medicine with drug discount cards. Low-income seniors are
    getting $600 of help this year and $600 of help next year. And beginning
    in 2006, all seniors will be able to get prescription drug coverage
    under Medicare.
        Here we have another difference in this campaign. My opponent voted against the Medicare bill that included
    prescription drug coverage, even though it was supported by AARP and
    other seniors groups. In this campaign, he said, ``If I'm President,

    [[Page 2718]]

    we're going to repeal that phony bill.'' Then he went on to say, ``No, I
    don't want to repeal it.'' [Laughter] Sounds familiar. [Laughter] As
    your President for the next 4 years, I will defend the reforms we have
    worked so hard to pass and keep the promise of Medicare for America's
    seniors. And I will keep the promise of Social Security for our seniors,
    and we will strengthen Social Security for generations to come.
        Now, I want to remind you all what took place in the 2000 election
    and may be taking place in this election already, and that is that
    every--every campaign cycle it seems like somebody is trying to scare
    our seniors. See, in 2000, they said, ``If George W. gets elected, our
    seniors will not get their checks.'' As you're out rounding up the
    votes, I want you to remind people, George W. did get elected, and our
    seniors did get their checks. And I plan on getting reelected, and our
    seniors will continue to get their checks. And baby boomers like me,
    we're in pretty good shape when it comes to the Social Security trust.
        But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren. We
    need to worry about whether or not a retirement system--a viable
    retirement system in Social Security will be there when they need it.
    And that's why I believe younger workers ought to be allowed to take
    some of their own payroll taxes and put it in a personal savings account
    that will earn a better rate of return, an account they own, an account
    the Government cannot take away.
        My opponent takes a different approach. He
    said he talks about protecting Social Security, but he's the only
    candidate in this race who has voted eight times for higher taxes on
    Social Security benefits.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He might not want us to
    remind him of that. He can run, but he cannot hide.
        And when it comes to a younger generation, he offered nothing, no reforms. The job of the President is
    to confront problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and
    future generations. I will bring Republicans and Democrats together to
    make sure Social Security is viable for a younger generation of
    Americans.
        And the fifth and final clear choice in this election is on the
    values that are so crucial to keeping America's families strong. And
    here, my opponent and I are miles apart. I
    stand for the appointment of Federal judges who know the difference
    between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law. I
    believe marriage is a sacred commitment. Marriage is a pillar of
    civilization, and I will defend it. This is not a partisan issue. When
    Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a
    union of a man and a woman, the vast majority of Democrats supported it,
    and the bill was signed by my predecessor.
        But Senator Kerry was part of an out-of-
    the-mainstream minority that voted against the Defense of Marriage Act.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I believe that reasonable people can find common
    ground on the difficult issues. Republicans and Democrats, many citizens
    on both sides of the life issue came together and agreed we should ban
    the brutal practice of partial-birth abortion. I proudly signed that
    bill.
        Senator Kerry was part of the out-of-the-
    mainstream minority that voted against the ban.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He also voted against
    parental notification laws. He voted against the Unborn Victims of
    Violence Act. I'll continue to reach out to Americans of every belief
    and move this goodhearted Nation toward a culture of life.
        My opponent has said that the heart and
    soul of America can be found in Hollywood.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I know. Most American families do not look to
    Hollywood for a source of values. [Laughter] The heart and

    [[Page 2719]]

    soul of America is found in caring and loving communities like
    Davenport, Iowa.
        All these choices make this one of the most important elections in
    our history. The security and prosperity of our country, the health and
    education for our families, the retirement of our seniors, and the
    direction of our culture are all at stake. And the decision is in the
    best of hands; it's in the hands of the American people.
        I see a great day coming for America. One of my favorite quotes was
    written by a fellow Texan named Tom Lea. He
    said, ``Sarah and I live on the east side of the mountain. It's the
    sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is the side to see the day that is
    coming, not to see the day that has gone.'' My opponent has spent much of this campaign talking about the day that
    has gone. I'm talking about the day that's coming.
        You know, we have been through a lot together over the past years.
    Because we've done the hard work of climbing the mountain, we can see
    the valley below. We'll protect our families. We'll build on their
    prosperity. We'll defend our Nation's deepest values. We'll spread
    freedom in the world, and as we do, we'll achieve the peace we all long
    for.
        When I traveled your State in 2000, asking for the vote, first in
    the caucuses and then in the general election, I made this pledge: I
    pledged that I would uphold the honor and the integrity of the office to
    which I had been elected. With your help, I will do so for 4 more years.
        God bless. Thanks for coming. Thank you all. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:30 p.m. at the RiverCenter. In his
    remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the
    keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention; former Mayor
    Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York City, and his wife, Judith; Usama bin
    Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; and Gen. Tommy R.
    Franks, USA, (Ret.), former combatant commander, U.S. Central Command.
    He also referred to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon
    the United States (9/11 Commission).